The present invention is directed to a conformal radiation therapy device for use in delivering radiation therapy for cancer treatment.
If a solid tumor is visualized using a three-dimensional treatment planning system such as one based on CT or MRI images, the tumor surface anatomy can be described by the data obtained. If this surface anatomy is then "viewed" through a slit-like opening, one views a section with a fixed "height" and a variable "width". As one scans about the tumor in a coronal planar section, the tumor width will seem to vary depending on the radial angulation of the view. In this way the "view" of the tumor will conform to the surface anatomy of the tumor as the slit-like opening is rotated about the patient.
Lineal accelerators are well known in the art and include collimators mounted in the head which emits the radiation. The collimator is used to adjust the area of the target. Multi-leaf collimators are also known in the art. These types of collimators are also mounted in the head or closely adjacent the head and are used to more specifically define the target areas desired to be treated. These multi-leaf collimators may be driven by microprocessors to adjust the target area.